Bourbon-cheese Pairings

I love bourbon and I love cheese with my bourbon. After doing some Google searching for bourbon - cheese pairings, I bought a variety of suggested cheeses and conducted a one-man tasting this weekend.

The bourbon was ORVW107 10 y.o. because, well, that’s what I wanted to drink.

Old Kentucky Tomme
Made in Indiana and aged 5-6 months. This is a semi-soft cheese made from goats’ milk and is a style typically made in the French Alps. Generally mild with a creamy texture. Definite mushroom taste. I like this cheese but don’t see it as a particularly good match for bourbon. (I retried this later with some BT and it seemed to pair better with that pour’s earthy undertones.)

Tarentaise
From Vermont, a hard cows’ milk cheese aged about six months. Pale yellow, the taste is grassy and nutty and nicely sharp. Compliments the bourbon’s char. I liked this one a lot.

Vermont Artisanal Cheddar
Firm and aged over two years. Not the rubbery, day-glo orange cheddar that you find in the supermarket dairy case, this is the real deal. The sharpness is balanced by the high-butterfat creaminess. A good sharp cheddar is a natural with whiskey. Stands up well to the alcohol heat of the whiskey.

Mimolette Jeune
A semi-firm cows’ milk cheese from France. Naturally orange-colored. Similar to Edam, but more intensely-flavored. I found this a real match with the sweetness and caramel tones of the ORVW. A real winner!

Aged Gouda
A four year-old from the Netherlands, this is the quintessential pairing with bourbon. Very hard and crumbly. Surprisingly rich and nutty on the tongue. Very intense with a butterscotch-like finish. Always a good match.

Nancy’s Hudson Valley Camembert
One of my all time favorites, this is a Camembert unlike any other I’ve tried. From Vermont, it’s made with a mixture of cow and goat milk. Extraordinarily smooth and buttery --- with the texture of a triple-cream. All it needs is a neutral cracker and a good pour. I switched to OGD114 for this one; the high rye content and higher ABV helps cut the richness. (NOTE TO SELF: you’ve got to try this with some THH.)

John B

"Drinking when we are not thirsty and making love at all seasons… that is all there is to distinguish us from other animals."

Re: Bourbon-cheese Pairings

I often have Gouda or Camembert and water biscuits with a bourbon on a weekend, so much so that i had investigated making my own cheese as i was inspired by watching this TV show on Foxtel called 'Cheese Slices'.

This guy just goes around the world - similar to Zane off 'Three Sheets', but instead of tasting alcohol he taste tests cheeses from around the world.

Maybe dull to some but since i love cheese and alcohol i find both of these show intriguing.

Re: Bourbon-cheese Pairings

Aged Gouda with bourbon is a MUST enjoy! They go together so well, it's scary!

One of my favorite aged Gouda cheeses Rembrandt (below). It's crunchy, salty, sweet, smoky with honey and caramel notes with nuts and wood. It tastes like a good cream, cheesy scotch or bourbon! Greatest thing about it, it's affordable and readily available in the US (Costco and Sam's Club both sold it at one time).